FOOD

Wagyu is the organizing principle, with American beef at the foundation, Australian wagyu above it and Japanese A5 at the upper tiers. A5 combines the top yield grade with the top quality grade in Japan’s beef grading system, while M9+ signals very high marbling on the Australian scale. The cuts arrive extremely thin, which is why the trays can look almost sashimi-like. Most of that beef is meant for the pot, not for eating raw.

Shabu-shabu rewards patience. Chuck ribeye, brisket and shoulder need only enough time in bubbling broth to lose their raw surface and warm through. Chuck ribeye brings the richest steak-like balance of meat and fat, brisket runs softer and fattier, and shoulder offers a slightly firmer bite. Gold and Diamond add full-blood M9+ Australian cuts, while Diamond makes the complete Japanese A5 trio part of the repeatable rotation.

The broth changes the same meat dramatically. Sukiyaki leans sweet and savory; house broth is gentler and comes with ponzu; spicy miso adds fermented depth; tomato brings acidity. Newer spicy mala and tom yum choices push the meal toward numbing chile or aromatic sour-spicy territory. Choosing two broths lets one side stay delicate for premium beef while the other handles vegetables, seafood or stronger flavors.

The most unusual foods sit around the hot pot. The seafood-appetizer course can include black-garlic pepper tuna, yuzu yellowtail with Asian pear, salmon ceviche and Hokkaido scallop with Fuji apple. Upper tiers add wagyu nigiri, wagyu tartare, roasted bone marrow, sweet shrimp sashimi and Norway lobster. The nigiri is lightly seared beef over rice; tartare is intentionally raw seasoned wagyu; sweet shrimp is sashimi-style; Norway lobster is the delicate crustacean also known as langoustine.

The seafood platter broadens the pot further. Its composition can change with supply, but the Houston version has included snow crab, scallops, shrimp, abalone, fish and lobster tail. Diamond makes the platter unlimited, turning the meal into something close to a wagyu-and-shellfish feast; lower tiers keep tighter limits on premium seafood.

A compact self-service counter supplies vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, fish cakes, eggs, noodles, sauces and condiments. Wagyu curry rice and minced-wagyu rice are dangerous distractions because they are comforting enough to become meals by themselves. They make more sense as small side trips when a table has paid for higher-tier beef.

Kurobuta pork and Jidori organic chicken provide useful breaks from beef. Kurobuta is Berkshire-type pork valued for juiciness and intramuscular fat, while the chicken is leaner and lets the broth take the lead. They widen the Basic tier and also work as palate resets once the richer A5 begins to feel almost buttery.

Selected tea and soft drinks are included, and milk tea extends the self-serve abundance. Ice cream can finish the meal with flavors such as matcha and red bean. By then, the challenge is not finding enough to eat; it is resisting the urge to keep proving the word unlimited. Mikiya works best when the fixed price becomes permission to compare carefully rather than a mandate to overwhelm the pot.